Cardinal Black

If good things come to those who wait…  

Cardinal Black are testament to the power of patience, thought and persistence. 

A debut #1 single and E.P.; a first gig to a hometown capacity crowd at legendary Cardiff Castle; back-to-back sold out  Academy tours with Myles Kennedy, then The Struts; a highly-anticipated debut album, heralded by a live set recording  in the Beatles’ iconic Studio Two at Abbey Road in London. An eventful 12 months for any band. It takes years, so the  saying goes, to become an overnight success… 

Rewind to 2010 and the Welsh-born trio of Tom Hollister, Chris Buck and Adam Roberts were riding a wave of hype,  hotly-tipped by some of the biggest names in rock – most notably Steve Winwood who invited the band to record at his  own Wincraft Studios. A triumphant live set at Sonisphere was followed by a flight across the Atlantic to begin work on  their first record, with veteran manager Alan Niven (Guns N’ Roses) at the helm. The lure of the U.S. proved irresistible  to the nascent trio but, as is often the case, the expectations they initially set themselves didn’t mirror their reality and  they chose to call time on the band before returning to the U.K. 

“We tried to do the acrimonious split; creative differences and all that. We then quickly realised we were fairly reliant on one another,” admits Buck. 

In the decade that followed, the lifelong friends cut their own individual paths whilst remaining close. Most notable has  been the well-earned rise of guitarist Chris Buck – named in 2019 as ‘Best New Guitarist in the World’ – who has forged  a reputation as one of the most inventive and recognisable guitar players in music; winning plaudits from peers and the  industry’s most iconic players alike. Drummer Adam Roberts found work as a first-call session player, whilst vocalist  Tom Hollister moved into tour management – the three maintaining their musical connection by sporadically meeting up  to perform together.